In the same way LegalZoom took away the intimidation of speaking with an attorney, Inspectify’s fast ordering and clear, categorized reporting takes the pain out of finding out your buyer’s house needs work after closing.
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This article was updated June 27, 2024.
Inspectify is software for scheduling, conducting and acting on home inspection reports.
Platforms: Browser app; mobile for inspectors
Ideal for: All agents, teams and brokerages
Initial review: May 2022
Updated: June 2024
Top selling points:
- Inspection warranty
- Auto-categorized deficiencies
- Consumer-simple scheduling and ordering
- Complete white-labeling available
- Quick property onboarding
- Calendar and scheduling system
Top concern:
This is a product that requires agents and inspectors to overcome “but this is how we’ve always done it” mentalities. Never an easy objection to beat, but a shameful one to rely on.
What you should know
Inspectify is a smart and potentially industry-altering solution for home inspections. Inspectors can use its many automations and flexibility to quickly conduct what forever has been done on fragmented and inconsistent software, if any at all. (Many still use clipboards and bad photos.) The software is designed to ensure the risk of mid-deal renegotiation is as mitigated as possible.
The software emphasizes pace without sacrificing accuracy or transparency. Users don’t have to manually input item findings as often, they can categorize deficiencies quickly, insert photos as they go, quickly filter report views, output reports to multiple static and digital formats and use appliance information placards to call third-party databases for life expectancy, warranty data and critical lifespan insights.
A primary value proposition for the industry is the potential standardization of inspection processes and formats, which only makes everything easier for the consumer to understand and the agent to communicate. The overall report experience is pleasant, not heart-wrenching. Inspectify wants to alleviate that gut lurch that so often accompanies the “inspection available” email.
Screenshot
The company’s latest innovation isn’t coded, it’s underwritten. In lock-step with its mission, Inspectify has introduced “inspection warranties.” Provided a major system item or appliance is at least operable, Inspectify can provide coverage on it to ensure the buyer has added confidence after closing.
The process requires a couple of verification steps to ensure homeownership and from there, it’s merely a matter of filing a claim should a subject item fail before its life expectancy, resulting in a powerful way to avoid complicated seller credit negotiations and for buyer agents, a valuable buyer certainty builder, especially if it’s their first home or a relocation need. Because Inspectify offers pre-sale inspections, sellers can use findings to fix any non-warrantied items before officially putting the home on the market.
Home warranties are much more expensive and frankly, burdensome to own and access. I had one for too many years and relied on their way-too-short list of contractors, unruly time frames and inconsistent decision-making. I would be much more open to this kind of item-specific coverage.
Inspectify’s ability to physically audit a home comes from its “property-level” data collection. It contextualizes items with the property, calling on third-party databases and market information to offer inspection insights at a more granular level, out from under the traditional crawlspace perspective. If an item’s livelihood can be assessed against 1,000 other instances, the findings become that much more prescient.
Agents will enjoy Inspectify for its standardization of the process. You’re not having to abide by the order rules of various inspectors based on who is available. And even better, you don’t have to chase one down, as that’s part of what one pays Inspectify to do, as they have more than 1,000 inspectors on their growing list on call around the country.
Screenshot
Speaking of consistency, the company has developed a mobile app for its licensed inspectors to use on each property. I didn’t look at that interface, as that’s not at all in my wheelhouse, but I know enough to know that creating consistency in reporting throughout such a fragmented business process can only be a good thing.
Imagine how much faster every inspection analysis would go for you and your buyers when you know exactly where to look each time. Knowing what to expect in the delivery of information is a big help. Why do you think Southwest Airlines only uses one type of jet? To invoke something the kids on social media say, “Let’s normalize consistency in home inspections.”
The agent user experience asks for your client’s name, address, dates and times, and the status of the property.
Any existing inspectors on your list can be added and invited upon account setup, and when a client books via your branded landing page, the list will default to your preferred inspectors. The user can enter a few details, and then connections to local tax data and your MLS will populate critical property data, and the customer can input their agent or transaction coordinator’s name.
The scheduling tool makes calendars a priority to avoid what Inspectify calls “calendar Tetris.” Everyone’s availability is easy to navigate and lock down.
If the property is of a certain age or has unique characteristics, Inspectify automatically suggests ordering other types of inspection related to older home systems. If there’s a lead paint risk, for example, or a septic tank, the software will suggest scheduling reviews of those items, too.
The homebuyer’s portal gives the user multiple ways to review their report, which is summarized by Safety, Repair and Monitor. Clicking on either category quickly jumps to each, and items in each are clearly defined and leave little ambiguity as to what actions should be taken.
The report emphasizes imagery and offers a repair estimate based on a deep database of national repair cost averages and labor prices, benchmarked against a record of 1,800 standard home deficiencies. In a few months, it will add a major appliance database so inspectors can rapidly search for recall information and find parts prices.
Inspectify has built an impressive list of national customers already, striking deals with Keller Williams, Orchard, HomeLight, Knock, Homeward, FlyHomes and Opendoor. Smart play, on their part. Why not target companies that market tech-forward, alternative ways to buy a home?
Say what you will, but their consumers come to them for simplicity.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe started in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com boom, helping an array of commercial real estate companies fortify their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agents with technology decisions and marketing through reviewing software and tech for Inman.
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